Blog

Metrics for Measuring Poverty and Other Good Stuff

This week, Laura Libman, Tia’s founder, contributed an article on metrics for measuring poverty for Thunderbird for Good’s Knowledge Network.  Laura’s brief missives represent just one of many practical and theoretical discussions on topics such as ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

New ways of capturing data related to poverty make  programs like Tia’s more effective. Ms. Libman’s article contains reflections on a piece in last week’s Economist (“Economic Focus: A wealth of data” July 31st, 2010, p. 62),  which explains a new method for capturing the multidimensional aspects of poverty, while still giving us a succinct but more accurate metric than the standard “dollar-a-day” measure.

The United Nations plans to use this new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) developed by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, and the Mexican Government employs a variant of the MPI.

Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Knowledge Network offers research and opinions on cutting edge global issues from some of the best minds in their respective fields.  Thunderbird for Good (T4G) leverages the school’s expertise in international business to provide learning experiences for non-traditional students who utilize business and management skills to fight poverty, secure peace and improve living conditions in their communities.   The Tia Foundation is honored to support T4G’s efforts to make us all better global citizens.

Tia’s Newest Corporate Partner: Tlaqueparte

Tia proudly announces a new partnership with Tlaqueparte.  The partnership was cemented during a meeting with Tlaqueparte’s President,  Carlos Maytorena Martinez Negrete (second from the left),  Tia’s President, Laura Libman (far left), and Dr. Francisco Rico (center) from Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara’s Community Medicine Program.  Also attending the meeting were long time volunteer, Patricia Garibay (far right), and Promotora sisters, Maurilia (seated) and Carmen Huerta Salas (second from right).

Tlaqueparte is a traveling exposition of gorgeous fine art, handicrafts and artisan works from Mexico and Latin America.  Tlaqueparte has large lovely shows in Hermosillo, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Veracruz and San Antonio, Texas.  Tia plans to organize a trip for friends of Tia to their show in late October/early November, just in time for holiday shopping!

If you are interested in joining us for a fun, overnight trip to Hermosillo, including a lovely dinner at one of Hermosillo’s finer restaurants, email us at tiafoundation@cox.net.  Stay tuned to our website for more details.  In the meantime, check out Tlaqueparte‘s website!

Shocking Stats Revealed at Conference

“Every minute of every day, a woman somewhere on the planet dies and thirty other women suffer long-lasting injury or illness from preventable pregnancy-related causes and complications.”   This is just one of many stunning statistics to come out of the recent “Women Deliver gathering in Washington, D.C., where more than 3,500 delegates from over 146 countries came together to discuss a shared agenda focused on the reduction of mortality rates among women, newborns, and infants.”

“Women are, in fact, the key to the health and prosperity of the global community. And without a redoubled commitment to reducing the social, economic, and health disparities that far too many women experience in every aspect of their lives, the fate of nations on every continent is at risk.”

We thank Michael Seltzer for this eye-popping article. Check it out in its entirety at PHILANTOPIC the editorial blog at Philanthropy News Digest.

http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2010/06/global-womens-health-movement.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fphilantopic+%28PhilanTopic%29

Tia’s Crackerjack Intern: Jill Turek

It is with great enthusiasm that Jill brings her experience to the Tia Foundation.  While working in Ecuador on an Economic Development project in 2006, Jill came to internalize the lessons of “teaching a man to fish” and enabling people to manifest their own change by giving them the tools and knowledge to do so.

Jill ‘s professional experience includes financial analysis, small business and personal finance as well as having served countless tables!  It is serving and providing for basic needs, economic development and private-public partnerships that will drive Jill’s job search upon graduation in January 2011.

Study Reconfirms Importance of Health Workers

A new study published recently by Save the Children reconfirms the need for skilled health workers in communities in the developing world.

“The problems around maternal and newborn health have been raised for many years, but there still remains so much to be done,” Houleyemata Diarra, Save the Children’s newborn health regional adviser for Africa, told IRIN (United Nations’ Integrated Regional Information Network) from Mali. “There are not enough skilled attendants at births, and governments are not taking into account where health workers are needed – in communities.”

Save the Children is calling on governments and donors to prioritize building up a workforce of female health workers to serve in their communities and local clinics.

It costs a lot to train a doctor or run a hospital, but the cost of giving community health workers basic training – to diagnose and treat common early childhood illnesses, organize vaccinations and promote good nutrition and newborn care – does not have to be exorbitant, says Save the Children.

In Bangladesh the NGO found that providing female community health-workers with  training and education caused infant mortality rates in affected areas to drop by a third.

“There are a lot of models of this working well around the world,” said Save the Children’s Diarra.

Thank you to IRIN News, UNIFEM and Save the Children for this report!